UK Trains

UK trains link all Britain from London to Oxford, Glasgow to Edinburg and Cardiff to Birmingham etc.

Great Britain is full of contrasts, whichever direction you travel you will find a wide variety of landscapes. Hop on and discover the countryside by train in a comfortable and relaxing atmosphere. From cosmopolitan and vibrant cities to historic places and their richness in heritage, trains will take you everywhere.

Popular journeys and travel durations

Along 15,795 kilometres of tracks, 23 Train Operating Companies work together for providing the most complete rail network. Long distance traffic, Regional and National lines, everything is made to ease each kind of rail travel.

With its 14 terminals from which the main lines connect to the other parts of Great Britain, London is the hub of the UK rail network. The large choice of schedules will be the opportunity to tailor-make your journey and easily plan day trips to visit Oxford, Cambridge, Brighton or Windsor in one day from London.

From East to West or North to South, and although a few of them are High Speed trains, UK rail network trains run all year long and offer quick connections across the regions. Here are some examples of routes and best travel times:

Popular journeys and travel durations

Journey

Travel time

London Paddington - Oxford

0h53

London Waterloo - Portsmouth

1h35

London St Pancras - Dover Priory

1h09

Cardiff Central - Birmingham New Street

2h

Glasgow - Edinburg

0h58

London

Sandwich

01:31

€ 42

London

Chester

01:58

€ 24

London

Peterborough

00:45

€ 15

Sheffield

London

02:00

€ 27

London

Southampton

01:11

€ 36

Truro

London

04:18

€ 56

Bicester

London

00:46

€ 16

Crewe

London

01:36

€ 11

London

Oxenholme

02:34

€ 31

London

Manchester

02:07

€ 16

Birmingham

London

01:21

€ 8

Brighton

London

00:51

€ 7

Cambridge

London

00:47

€ 8

Hull Gb

London

02:34

€ 35

London

York

01:46

€ 19

Preston

London

02:11

€ 26

Norwich

London

01:44

€ 11

Newcastle

London

02:36

€ 36

Bristol

London

01:23

€ 19

London

Carlisle

03:15

€ 57

London

Leeds

02:12

€ 39

Swansea

London

03:11

€ 43

Edinburgh

London

04:29

€ 37

Bournemouth

London

01:48

€ 14

London

Liverpool

02:14

€ 16

Nottingham

London

01:31

€ 21

Portsmouth

London

01:36

€ 7

Oxford

London

00:56

€ 8

London

Glasgow

04:08

€ 37

London

Salisbury

01:22

€ 47

London

Cardiff

02:01

€ 23

Booking and printing options

Booking :

UK Trains tickets are open for booking 60 days ahead.

Get the lowest prices by booking early and don’t wait until the last minute as cheaper seats sell the fastest.

Opt for off-peak trains when you have to travel short notice. They are more affordable than morning and evening trains along with those running on holiday eves, Friday and Sunday afternoon.

Recommended for this train! The seat reservation is included in the price of your ticket when offered by the train carrier. With the included reservation, you are guaranteed a seat to make your journey more enjoyable.

Experience the service

Before you board

Most of the stations are equipped with self-service ticket machines where you will be able to collect your Print @ the station ticket. First class is ideal for business travellers as well as for passengers who want to be pampered. First class tickets provide access to first class lounges in the main stations.

Onboard

Classes and facilities offered by trains in the UK

First class

Second class

Snacks and beverages Whenever you feel peckish, you can buy something on board to eat or drink. small>

WiFi Internet Enjoy the freedom to read your emails, surf and listen to online music thanks to the wireless internet on board certain trains. small>

Power sockets Ideal to plug your laptop, phone or any electronic device from your seat. small>

Interactive Rail Map

F.A.Q

A. All 1 st class passes are valid for travel in all sleeper accommodations. If you have a 2 nd class pass, you are able to travel in T3 compartments and couchettes. Some T4 compartments are offered in 1 st and 2 nd class. Please be sure to check the details of the fare for the train you wish to travel on to determine what class the T4 is offered in.

A. First class on the TGV France-Italy offers large, comfortable reclining seats and a bar-buffet car offering a complete selection of food and beverages for purchase.
Second class on the TGV France-Italy offers generous legroom and bar-buffet car offering a selection of food and beverages for purchase.

A. To find them you only need to fill in the booking form. This is located on the home page or in the Train Tickets section. Provide us with the cities you would like to travel between and your travel date. A selection of schedules will be displayed. Select later train to see more schedules.

A. Reservation is compulsory on Italo. When you buy a ticket for Italo, the reservation is included. Please note that if have even if you have a Rail Pass which includes Italy, you need a separate ticket to travel on board the Italo. Passholder fares do not apply to Italo.

A. To obtain a refund, please return your unused, unvalidated tickets/pass to your travel agent, or send to your local Raileurope Office. Click here to get the information in our contact us section.
Most tickets are required to be returned at least 3 days prior to the departure date, or to be stamped "Unused" at a rail station in Europe to be eligible for a refund. Please add a short note including the original booking number of the order. It is suggested that you send these documents by some type of traceable mail for proof of delivery, should they get lost in the mail.

A. There are no check-in or customs procedures before boarding ICE trains. Just be aware that for international destinations, ticket control and passport checks will occur on boarding the train. And if you are a pass holder, just remember that you have to validate your pass prior to boarding the ICE trains.

A. Yes, non-smoking cars are available on all trains. Most high- speed trains are now completely non-smoking and all reservations are requested in non-smoking coaches when both options are available.
There is no smoking on all trains in France, Italy, Norway, Germany, Austria, Sweden, Belgium, Netherlands, Luxemburg, and Switzerland.

A. Frecciarossa trains offer two classes of travel: first class and second class. First Class ticket holders will receive a welcome drink, a snack and a daily Italian newspaper. Either travel class you may choose, you will be able to surf the Net on Frecciarossa trains using a USB key or any other portable device equipped with a Wi-Fi antenna.

Reviews & ratings

Overall rating (145)

Overall appreciation

51 Reviews

"Nice trip"

Gaya o.08/12/2014 The train was on time. There was enough space for our luggage. I just think the space between the seats could be bigger. Value for money Convenience

"Take the Train"

Dorene k.
02/12/2014 It's clean, comfortable, and a smooth ride. The service on board is good. Watching the fields, and towns go by with ease. A pleasant experience. The train arrived on time. Value for money Convenience

"King Cross to Edinburgh"

Yeow Hock Jeremy g.
25/11/2014 I enjoy the train ride from London King Cross Station to Edinburgh. The timing is ok and the scenery is beautiful when I took the train. Value for money Convenience

"Tickets"

Ligia n.
02/11/2014 I try to use credit cards the least possible when abroad. Therefore I would prefer a machine that reads a bar code on my ticket reservation in order to issue the ticket, rather than having to use a credit card in order to issue the ticket (even if no payment is being charged for issuing it).
Besides that the trip was very comfortable and on time. Value for money Convenience

"Edinburgh to London train"

John h.
20/10/2014 The trip went well. The train was on time, reasonably comfortable and easy to use with convenient on and off stops. it was very useful to have train reps on the track directing where to stand to get the proper car. My only comment concerns baggage, it was a bit tough to negotiate bags and find storage on the car. Value for money Convenience

"Edinburgh to London "

Peter c.
18/10/2014 A thoroughly enjoyable experience, appreciated the assistance given when ticketing , a staff member saw that we were unfamiliar with the process and helped us, the train was on time with info given as the trip progressed. We arrived on time, quite relaxed. Value for money Convenience

"Helpful"

Chak Wing k.
18/09/2014 I got my tickets from the Euston Service Counter. The officer was very helpful and printed a full set of return tickets (10 tickets) for me. He explained how to use them in the trains. Thanks a lot. Value for money Convenience

"ALAWADHI"

Mohammed a.
28/08/2014 Very good Value for money Convenience

"Tons of luggage but no space"

Azlinah m.
10/08/2014 I had my very first experience with RAILeurope. It was easy to navigate at the train station with luggage and easy instruction by the information counter officer. However, had a lot of difficulty to carry out big luggage up to the train. We bought this big luggage because we were heading to london then to paris before we head home to Singapore. Lucky thing, we had a 63year old man in our tour group to help us load those luggage. And the best part was, the train manager in the coach was kind enough to give us the space to put our luggage at the side of their bar. Overall, it was satisfying experience, thank you train manager and RAILeurope. Value for money Convenience

"Train Trip"

Sanjaykumar a.
03/08/2014 Traveling was very good on UK Trains, leg room is very less. Value for money

"My train tip in the British Is"

Lois k.
20/07/2014 We thought the train service was incredible. The only negative was when you had to transfer from one train to another in a short period of time with luggage and all steps! There was no information on where to meet your transfer train. Value for money Convenience

"It is Okay"

Wen-hung k.
12/07/2014 There is nothing special. It is punctual and relatively comfortable.
However, I would hope when changing trains at Maninngtree, we do not need to go down to underpass and come up to another platform. It is really difficult when you travel with big suitcase. Value for money Convenience

"Scotland by rail"

Michael d.
01/06/2014 it was fast and comfortable,as conditions allowed, especially as it was not a premier train,but a local being used. Value for money Convenience

"Edinburgh to Manchester"

Ryan Joshua Tien Ming s.
14/05/2014 Train ride was comfortable enough. I got it at a discounted price. Service was excellent. Train was on time. Value for money Convenience